Ecotourism Activities Research Articles

Ecotourism Promotes Conservation Activity at Tourism Destinations: Limestone Forest Langkawi

This study aims to investigate the role of ecotourism activities and programs in promoting the conservation and protection of the limestone forest at tourism destinations in Langkawi. University students from Malaysia and Australia collaborated in this case study to gather data on the applicability of using ecotourism as a tool for conservation activities in Langkawi. Three field trips were undertaken to the Langkawi limestone forests, where researchers employed onsite observation and face to face interviews with 30 stakeholders from multiple backgrounds. The result indicated that through hands-on experience, ecotourism promotes the conservation and protection of the limestone forest. Keywords: ecotourism, conservation, limestone forest, Langkawi eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2021.. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., U.K. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6iSI6.3047

Four Dimensions of Women’s Empowerment in Tourism: Case Study of Indrayanti Beach, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The emergence of sustainable tourism has led to a new tourism concept called ecotourism. Ecotourism has the principle of environmental preservation and the local communities’ welfare produces a significant impact on indigenous people in the area. This is because the local community is involved in managing sustainable tourism. Women who are part of the community have the same opportunities as men in accessing opportunities from ecotourism activities. Based on empirical research results, tourism activities create alternative jobs for women to be more independent economically, including the fact that the participation of women in tourism activities has a positive impact on them socially. Empowering women is an important part of community welfare efforts in the scope of tourism, so that women’s empowerment is important in the tourism development process. This study aims to analyze the ongoing empowerment of women and what factors are the drivers and barriers to empowerment in Indrayanti Beach as one of the leading destinations in Gunungkidul Regency as seen from four dimensions (economic, social, political, and psychological). The mixed-method approach has been used in research. It was found that the level of women’s empowerment in Indrayanti Beach had shown a good enough score with the highest average score in the economic dimension, namely 7.64, where women economically have received a positive impact from Indrayanti Beach. The lowest average score is on the political dimension, with a value of 5.82. Women politically still do not have awareness if their role is important for the sustainability of Indrayanti Beach tourism. For the social dimension, the average is 6.81, and the psychological dimension on average is 7.47, where women feel socially and psychologically empowered quite well. The main driver of women’s empowerment is the opportunity and permission from their families to participate in tourism activities. The main obstacle to women’s empowerment is the low self-confidence due to skills that have not been maximized.

Historical-cultural education functions of geosystems of specially protected nature areas on the example of the Pribaikalsky National Park

The paper considers the role of historical-cultural objects in the forming educational functions of geosystems. This task is essential for specially protected nature areas, where educational ecotourism activity is implemented. A model area is the Pribaikalsky National Park. We studied historical peculiarities of formation of the local natural complexes, socio-cultural and other anthropogenic processes that influenced the modern configuration of the park landscapes. The research revealed that various relief forms, geographic object location and vegetation have the primary role in determining the historical-cultural functions of geosystems. Modern socio-economic and tourist infrastructure, in contrast to old settlements, gravitates towards the local historical-cultural sites. The created geoinformation database includes different characteristics of the local historical-cultural objects. These are a type, location, availability, approximate historical time age and significance for educational tourism development. In the result we also presented a fragment of the schematic map of the historical-cultural, archaeological and other object significance for educational tourism on the one of the key plots of the Pribaikalsky National Park. The determining the historical-cultural functions of geosystems is important for assessment of the recreational potential of the territory and further mapping recreational and educational activity goals for national parks.

GIS-Fuzzy DEMATEL MCDA model in the evaluation of the areas for ecotourism development: A case study of “Uzundere”, Erzurum-Turkey

Ecotourism has become an integral part of the tourism sector for raising awareness of environmental protection, reducing the negative effects of tourism while using natural and cultural tourist attractions sustainably. The study primarily aims to determine suitable areas for sustainability approaches in the region regarding ecotourism and develop a comprehensive and reliable model in Uzundere. Various methodological approaches have been applied to develop ecotourism models, but certain deficiencies have emerged regarding spatial differences and criteria weighting. The proposed model applied the Geographic Information Systems and Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Combined approaches such as Multi Criteria Decision Analysis approaches. The model was designed under 4 main groups and 16 sub-criteria. The ecotourism suitability map was analyzed through Weighted Linear Combination as highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable and not suitable areas. Besides offering great opportunities in selecting suitable areas to be designated for ecotourism activities, this modeling provides advantages for accurate decision-making, planning, implementation and also conservation of the natural and socio-cultural environment. This study can facilitate the planning of the sustainable structure for ecotourism and the suitable areas determination in other areas with similar geographical conditions, with its applicable, reproducible and modifiable criteria structure.

CONSERVATION UNITS IN AMAZONAS: A brief reflection related to the Anavilhanas National Park

Given the importance of strengthening reflections on Conservation Units (UC's) in the Amazon, the present study proposes a discussion on the Parks of the state of Amazonas, as well as a brief reflection related to the Anavilhanas National Park. In the first moment, the number of parks and their spheres of national, state and municipal management is presented. Then, the considerations are turned to the Anavilhanas National Park and its peculiarities. The methodology used consists of a bibliographic review around this theme, as well as the use of information from the Institutions that work directly in the area. As a result, the natural supply of parks represents a potential ally in terms of preserving resources and developing sustainable ecotourism activities. Anavilhanas Park is a national conservation unit, known worldwide, which presents the necessary attractions for sustainable ecotourism, since, since its recognition, as a protected area, it has been generating positive results for this follow-up.Â

Crab diversity as support for ecotourism activities in Pejarakan Mangrove Forest, Buleleng, Bali, Indonesia

Abstract. Ginantra IK, Muksin IK, Joni M. 2021. Crab diversity as support for ecotourism activities in Pejarakan Mangrove Forest, Buleleng, Bali, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4139-4145. This research aims to determine the diversity of crabs to support ecotourism activities in the coastal mangrove forest of Pejarakan Buleleng. Sampling of crabs was carried out using the square method, as many as 23 squares were spread over three mangrove zones, namely the front zone, the middle zone, and the rear zone. The number of individual crustacean species in each square plot was counted. Crab identification is based on morphological characters (shell color, claw shape, body-color, body size). Habitat use activities are observed directly. The diversity of crabs was calculated using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. The results showed that in the coastal mangrove area of Pejarakan Buleleng, there were 11 species of crabs (9 species of crabs and 2 species of hermit crabs). Species diversity is in the medium category (index 2.25) and evenness index is high (E = 0.93, mangrove conditions are stable). The seaward mangrove zone shows a higher diversity of crab species than the middle zone and the rear zone. The species of crabs that are quite abundant in the three zonings are Uca vocans, Chiromanthes sp., and Coenobita sp. Characteristics of crabs, activities, habitat use in mangrove zoning are attractions for ecotourism activities.

English

Ecotourism is a type of tourism in which maximum benefits are provided to local people while protecting the environment. Local people care more about the sustainability of biodiversity and they are very effective at protecting it. Kure Mountains National Park is one of the most important protected areas for accelerating ecotourism, having tremendous natural resources, protected traditional cultures, caves, canyons, waterfalls and natural wonders. In this study, we aimed to examine the support of women in ecotourism activities in Kure Mountain National Park. To measure the support of women in ecotourism, we conducted face-to-face surveys with 366 women from 53 villages and used observation method. It was found that the level of education in the region is quite low, 65 out of 98 women having 64 years of age and older were illiterate. As the level of education decreased, there was an increase in the unemployment. About 94.3% of the women living in the buffer zone of the park stated that there was no relation between their income and the status of National Park. These findings are important in understanding the role of women in the development of ecotourism. Moreover, stimulating ecotourism activities with encouragement and micro-development plans for local people will increase their livelihoods and people who live in and around the National Park will be more careful to protect these areas

Waukauyengtipu and Uchii River Uplands Expedition 2019 – report with photographic observations of carnivorous flora of the Paruima territory in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region of Guyana

An expedition to the territory of Paruima and its vicinities was organized between January 3-12, 2019. The objective was to visit the areas belonging to the Guyanese outreach of the Gran Sabana (Eng. “Great Savanna”) in the vicinity of the Uchii River (aka Utshi River) near the Venezuelan border and to reach the underexplored summit of the Waukauyengtipu plateau. The aim of the expedition was to make botanical observations with the main focus of reviewing local carnivorous plant species occurrences, as well as to assess the feasibility of the area for carrying out future scientific research and implementing small-scale eco-tourism activities in the territories belonging to the Pemón Arekuna community of Paruima. The expedition resulted in making interesting observations regarding the unique flora of the Guiana Highlands found around the areas of the Uchii River uplands in the Gran Sabana and on Waukauyengtipu.

Resident Willingness to Pay for Ecotourism Resources and Associated Factors in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China

Willingness to Pay (WTP), Willingness to Work (WTW) and Willingness to Accept Compensation (WTA) are the three quantitative criteria for assessing local ecological asset values for the social aspects of ecosystem services and residents' willingness to contribute to and receive compensation for tourism ecology. The objectives of this study are to estimate the residents' willingness to pay, work and accept compensation for conservation at Sanjiangyuan National Park, and to analyze the relationship between residents' attitude towards tourism ecology and the ecological assets of the National Park based on a standard questionnaire survey. The dichotomous choice Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was employed to determine the willingness. The survey conducted in 2018 collected WTP, WTW, WTA, socio-demFographical information, social trust and resident perceptions toward tourism impacts and relevant management strategies from 244 residents in two counties. Based on generalized linear modeling, income and education level are important for residents' WTP and WTA, but other social characteristics, such as gender and age, do not have significant effects. The social trust is found to be a significant factor on residents' willingness, despite the limitation on education level. Also, government funding is associated with residents' inclination to WTP, WTW and WTA, but the support levels differ among the two counties due to geographical and social heterogeneities. The estimated WTP, WTW and WTA for the Sanjiangyuan National Park in 2018 were 1.2448×107 yuan, 1.247×106 hours and 2.3232×107 yuan yr–1 based on the survey and published demographics. This study, for the first time, estimates the WTP, WTW and WTA for the Sanjiangyuan National Park and informs ecological conservation managers and policy makers. Ultimately, to maintain the long-term benefits arising from sustainable development, compensation should be specifically tailored and site-dependent, and development measures based on local resources should be adopted by governments to actively support eco-tourism activities.

Agricultural landscape management strategies in watersheds towards resilient agroecosystems

A resilient and sustainable agriculture must be able to meet the needs of food for people while taking into account the state of the ecosystem. Aims of this study is to develop a suitable management strategy to be applied to the agricultural landscape in the upstream of Jeneberang watershed in order to form a resilient agroecosystem. This research is a descriptive-analysis research. In this study, information was collected regarding the development of agricultural and agroecosystem activities in the upstream of the Jeneberang watershed. The data used were derived from primary data and secondary data. Primary data obtained from interviews and distributing questionnaires to respondent farmers, as well as field surveys. Meanwhile, secondary data retrieved from literature studies and data from various related agencies. Several strategies for managing agricultural landscapes towards resilient agroecosystems in the upstream Jeneberang watershed are as follows: diversify agricultural crops and agricultural activities in the upstream Jeneberang watershed; combine the use of environmentally friendly technology to make it suitable for the land; build good communication among the community; and develops agrotourism or ecotourism activities.

Mitigating seasonality patterns in an archipelago: the role of ecotourism.

Due to their insularity and small economies, several islands have become reliant on tourism activity for the livelihood of their communities. Islands of the same archipelago have faced various challenges in terms of tourism growth and related impact. Primarily, tourism has been characterised by seasonality (the strong spatio-temporal concentration of tourists in a destination) especially in the most peripheral islands. In other cases, tourism has grown considerably resulting in overemphasis on mass tourism throughout part of the year. This is largely experienced due to Sand, Sun and Sea (3S) tourism. Fieldwork, including interviews with key stakeholders and ecotours off-season, was conducted in the Aegadian Archipelago, off the west coast of Sicily. Findings revealed that ecotourism not only is the preferred alternative form of tourism among stakeholders but is also possible and ideal as confirmed through the ecotours. This is because different ecotourism activities can be practised all year round, thus mitigating seasonality. In return, this can help ease the financial, social and environmental challenges associated with current tourism models improving the well-being of local communities. Marine ecotourism is considered as a means to give more value to marine protected areas and to make existing tourism activity in the peak season more sustainable.

Does a National Park Enhance the Environment-Friendliness of Tourists as an Ecotourism Destination?

Governments have designated national parks to protect the natural environment against ecosystem destruction and improve individuals’ emotional and recreational life. National parks enhance environment-friendly awareness by conducting ecotourism activities and individuals with environment-friendly awareness are inclined to continue to visit national parks as ecotourism destinations. The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) is a widely used measure of environmental concern, suitable for measuring the environment-friendly attitude and revisit intention of visitors of national parks. Therefore, the study carried out structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship between the NEP, national park conservation consciousness and environment-friendly behavioral intention. Based on the results, an implication is presented to induce national parks to cultivate individual environment-friendly awareness and for visitors to pursue sustainable, environment-friendly tourism behavior. The findings indicate that national parks are to expand educational programs and facilities for eco-tourists visiting national parks to maintain a balanced relationship between themselves and nature and have a strong environmental awareness to preserve the natural environment.

ANALISIS OBYEK DAYA TARIK WISATA (ODTW) DAN INTERPRETASI JALUR EKOWISATA ELEPHANT TOUR DI PUSAT LATIHAN GAJAH TAMAN NASIONAL WAY KAMBAS

Way Kambas National Park is famous as an endemic habitat for the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) precisely in the Elephant Training Center area as a base for ecotourism activities. Statistics on the number of tourist visits turned out to show a decrease, therefore we need an innovative eco-tourism breakthrough one of which has the potential to be developed is the Elephant Tour ecotourism. The purpose of this study is to identify potential attraction objects that exist in the Way Kambas National Park Elephant Training Center and interpret ecotourism path plans. The method used in this study is field observations to obtain data on potential points and ecotourism path. The data that has been obtained is then tabulated for descriptive and spatial analysis. The results showed that the object of attraction in the Way Kambas National Park precisely in the area of the Elephant Training Center consists of flora, fauna, beauty landscape and planned ecotourism path into two, long and short trips.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALMOUS ECOTURISM IN THE ISLAND OF THE KELAPA ISLAND

This study aims to explore the perceptions of the community and tourists on the development plan for the marine alms ecotourism in the island of kelapa, and to formulate a communication strategy policy for the development of ecotourism in the Kelapa Island village. The approach used is a combination of communicative and qualitative approaches. Data analysis was compiled using tabulation, then interpreted descriptively qualitatively in accordance with the research objectives. The communication strategy implementation plan is carried out through a SWOT analysis. The perception of the village community to participate in its management so as to increase business opportunities and income. In addition, it can preserve rituals as a habitual action (hereditary action) and also contain transcendental values while maintaining natural preservation. The perception of visitors to the existence of sea alms strongly supports the ritual of "Sea Alms" which is used as a tourist attraction for marine culture, by displaying dance, culinary arts and typical Bugis cultural symbols which are ornaments of marine tourism attractions. Recommendations for ecotourism development communication strategies are: (1). Creating seaside village branding (2) conducting intensive promotions (3) Synergizing ecotourism with local culture and wisdom (4) Empowering local communities in ecotourism activities.

Planning Ecotourism in Coastal Protected Areas; Projecting Temporal Management Scenarios

Protected Areas (PAs) are critical instruments in preserving biodiversity and, because of their high-quality environmental conditions, they have always been attractive for ecotourism, the natural-based element of holiday activities that minimizes the “antagonistic” impacts of tourism on the environment. However, many PAs lack a specific management plan or do not include the future effects of tourism activities on the local human population. In this study, we propose a methodology for the projection of ecotourism impacts in the short-,mid-, and long-term scenarios in PAs. Based on the scenarios proposed by the panel of experts through the cause‒effect method, local communities described the core problems in a PA and proposed the solutions to develop ecotourism. We used 44 legislative, natural, and expert opinion attributes to prioritize future sustained activities under environmental policies. Our results suggest a background and show the best performance and efficacy of ecotourism activities. In addition, these methods aim to solve challenges faced by the local communities, encouraging the generation of scientific knowledge and conservation and natural resources management associated with biodiversity.

The role of stakeholders in ecotourism development in Marsegu Island Nature Tourism Park (MINTP) in Western Seram Regency, Eastern Indonesia

This study aimed to 1) Identifying stakeholders involved in ecotourism activities and 2) Analyze the role of stakeholders in support ecotourism activities in MINTP Western Seram Regency. A survey method with interview technique and Focus Group Discussions The data were analyzed descriptively qualitatively using stakeholder analysis. The stakeholder identification results showed that the primary stakeholder is the community in coastal villages around Kotania Bay. The key stakeholder is Nature Conservation Agency, Maluku and North Maluku. Supporting stakeholders are the private sector and academics, supporting capital dan facilities, and providing education and natural resources research. The results showed that each stakeholder is performed functions partially; therefore, it is necessary to have a collaboration management.

The potential development of ecotourism based on mangrove ecosystem in Ujung Pangkah of Gresik Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia

Ujung Pangkah mangrove ecosystem in the estuary of Bengawan Solo River is one of the mangrove ecosystems in East Java Province. In addition to its ecological functions, the presence of extensive mangrove forests with highly diversified fauna gives it the potential to be developed asa future tourism object. This study aimed to determine mangrove ecosystems for potential tourism development in Ujung Pangkah, Gresik Regency, East Java. The structure of the mangrove ecosystem was obtained by analyzing the mangrove vegetation, while land suitability and determination of suitable activity in mangrove area were obtained through multi-criteria analysis. According to the study, there were 7 species of mangrove found in Ujung Pangkah. Avecenia marina and Rhizophora apiculata were commonly found in the area. The type of ecotourism activities considered as very appropriate in the Ujung Pangkah mangrove area included jogging, specifically in Banyu Urip Village (84.52%), fishing in Pangkah Kulon Village (83.23%), and Pangkah Wetan Village (83.23%).

Biodiversity of Birds in Urban Green Space for Support Ecotourism activities in Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University Thailand

Bird watching is one of the attractive ecotourism activities for travelers and nature enthusiasts, which rapidly growing in Thailand. This study aims to: (1) explore bird diversity in various green spaces in ValayaAlongkorn Rajabhat University (VRU); and (2) examine which bird species dominates the study areas. Bird data were collected using point count techniques in two sessions; early morning, and late afternoon, at VRU from May 2020 to April 2021. Frequency of occurrence value (FQ) was analyzed for classifying status groups of birds in the VRU. Order Passeriformes was numerically the dominant order in our study area, with 22 species (47.7% of total represented species), while the other bird orders were the least dominant, represented by 1 to 5 species in range. A total of 47 species of birds belonging to 29 Families and 12 Orders were recorded. During this study, significantly, the highest bird richness was recorded in agriculture areas (35 ± 2.3 SD), followed by the species from recreation areas (27 ± 1.8 SD) and natural wetland (17 ± 1.7 SD) (P>0.05). Five migrant bird species and 35 resident species were observed, and 10 bird species were recorded in both the seasonal status as migrant and resident species. Most of the bird species are listed as of least concern, while only one species, Mycteria leucocephala, are listed as near-threatened. Nine bird species are classified as common species in the VRU with > 80 % of frequency of occurrence. The pattern of bird diversity in the VRU in general follows the natural condition of green area space in the VRU. Typical characteristics of birds, their habitat and appearing period can develop bird-watching objects, which become interesting attractions for travelers and nature enthusiasts, promoting ecotourism development and efforts to conserve bird diversity.

AHP Yöntemi ile Seyahat Acentalarının Ekoturizm Kriterleri Algılarının Tespiti: Giresun Örneği

The main purpose of the study is to determine which of the criteria affecting ecotourism are more important in the perceptions of travel agency managers. It is aimed to rank the criteria that affect ecotourism according to their importance and to determine the factors that should be focused on in destinations. Especially in terms of shaping ecotourism activities, which are important in the Eastern Black Sea region, it is aimed that the data obtained from travel agency managers who direct touristic movements will reflect the region's ecotourism demand positively. For this reason, travel agency managers of Giresun province, one of the ecotourism destinations, were taken as the sampling group in the study. The Analytical Hierarchy Process method, one of the multicriteria decision-making methods, was used in the study. In the study results, in the light of the analysis of the data obtained from the travel agency managers, the criteria for ecotourism destinations in Giresun province are listed as security, tourism facilities, natural life, cultural structure, transportation, geographical features, infrastructure, climate and price, respectively. It has been determined that the most important criterion affecting ecotourism destinations is security.

Exploring Key Indicators of Community Involvement in Ecotourism Management

This research tries to find key indicators of community involvement in ecotourism management that can ensure that local communities are involved and take part in ecotourism activities must uphold the values of ecotourism, minimize negative impacts; build awareness and appreciation of ecosystems and culture; provide positive opportunities for visitors and hosts; provide direct financial benefits for conservation; provide monetary benefits and empowerment for local residents and increase the hospitality of rural communities. This study uses a desk research method with data and information search techniques online, secondary sources, and other sources of scientific publications. Meanwhile, the analysis technique used is a descriptive qualitative analysis technique, analogy, and comparison of several research results and other scientific publications related to ecotourism management problems. The ecotourism which is directly adjacent to the conservation forest be able to measure the success based on community participation that namely the MOA method which consists of Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability can be used. The ecotourism which is located in the middle of a village or village settlement can be measured by first that ecotourism can integrate nature and tourism so that (1) a unique tourist attraction that is completely different from other types of tourism, (2) optimally maintains nature according to its main function, (3) can encourage the community's economy as a whole, both the community, investors, and local governments, (4) integrating nature and the tourism system to form attractive tourist attractions in the future. The second conclusion is that ecotourism as an opportunity for local workers and attracts government interest (1) can involve local workers as personnel in its operations, (2) attracts government attention to building public facilities, (3) attracts government attention to providing public transportation, terminals, systems passenger safety, information systems. This study uses only a desk research method with data and information search techniques online, secondary sources, and other sources of scientific publications. Key Indicators of Community Involvement in Ecotourism Management for ecotourism which is directly adjacent to the conservation forest, and ecotourism which is located in the village settlement.